US arrests two for allegedly exporting aviation tech to Russia

Prosecutors allege the Kansas men have been conspiring since 2020 to circumvent US export laws.

Two US citizens have been arrested on suspicion of exporting aviation technology to Russia in violation of sanctions over the war in Ukraine, US authorities have announced.

Cyril Gregory Buyanovsky, 59, and Douglas Robertson, 55, allegedly supplied aviation-related electronics to Russian companies, the US Justice Department said in a press release Thursday.

Buyanovsky and Robertson, both Kansas residents, are also accused of providing repair services for equipment used on Russian-made aircraft.

US prosecutors allege that from 2020 the two men conspired to circumvent US export laws through their firm KanRus Trading Company.

The men allegedly received electronic equipment, including a computer processor, for repair from a Russian company and between November 2020 and February 2021 tried to hide its true destination with a fraudulent invoice. May and July 2022.

Buyanovsky and Robertson are charged with conspiracy, exporting controlled goods without a license, falsifying and failing to file electronic export information, and smuggling goods in violation of U.S. law.

The two men face a maximum prison term of 20 years for each time they export controlled goods without a license, up to 10 years for each time they smuggle and up to five years for each time they commit conspiracy and falsifying export information.

The US has announced multiple sanctions against Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Washington last month announced sanctions against Russia’s metals and mining sectors and financial institutions alongside a $2 billion military aid package to Ukraine, marking the anniversary of the invasion.